Gas burner flash tube ignition apparatus



Jan. 20, 1953 c. c. LAMAR 2,625,993

GAS BURNER FLASH TUBE IGNITION APPARATUS Filed July 30, 1948 INVENTOR.

Clam:

Patented Jan. 20, 1953 APPARATUS I GAS BURNERIFLASH TUBE IGNITION.

Charles 0.1 Lamar, 'Chicago, 111.; assig'norto Har'per-Wyman Company, Chicago, Ill., a co'rporation of Illinois Applicationjluly so, 1948, Serial No.' 11,6ss

1 The present invention relates to gas'burners and it is particularly concerned with ignition apparatus for such burners. 1

One of the primary objects of the presentinvention is the provision of new and improved lighting apparatus for gas burners comprising a flash tube detachably held in relatively fixed and gas conducting relation to a lighter 'porton the burner by pilot'burner structure;

It is' customary in gas burner ignition apparatus to conduct gas from a burner to be lighted,

such as a stove or range burner, to a continuously burning pilot flame located a short distance from the burner through a tube called a flash tube. The'gas is so conducted when a control valve is opened to supply gas to the burner and, when ignited by the pilot flame, the flash of ignition travels or flashes back through the tube and ignites gas escaping from the burner ports. This type of ignition is quite commonly used and many difierent types of apparatus have been devised to effect it.

The present invention pertains more particularly to a novel structural relationship between the flash tube and the pilot burner structure and it has for one of its objects the provision of a new and improved flash tube-pilot burner housing arrangement. I

'A further object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved flash tubepilot burner housing construction in which the flash tube is detachably but substantially fixedly supported upon and by the housing, the arrangement being such that no additional parts, such as brackets, tongues, covers'or clamping means, are required. thereby simplifying both the fabrication and assembly of the ignition apparatus.

A further and more specific object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved gas burner ignition apparatus including a pilot burner housing having wall structure defining an open-ended straight-sided slot and a flash tube insertable into the slot having opposed straight sided wallswith'an axial length approximately equal to the thickness of the wall structure and having also structure engageable with the inner and outer sides of the wall structure, adjacent the slot, whereby the tube and housing are detachably held in substantially fixed and nonrotatable assembled relation simply upon insertion of the tube'into the slot.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved gas burner ignition flash tube comprising a tube curved intermediate --its ends and having near one end opposed 8 Claims. (Cl. 158--115) straight sided walls normal to the planepf "the arc of curvature. I

Other objects and" advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the en's uingdescription of an embodiment thereof," in the course of which reference is had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view, portions of which are broken away, showing a plurality of flash tubes, associated burners; and a pilot burner constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of Fig'. 1; p

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of a flash tube constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged top plan view of the pilot burner housing structure; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the pilot burner housing-flash tube assembly, il1ustrating how the flash tube is held in substantially fixed relation by the housing alone.

Referring now to the drawing and first more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, it may be noted that the apparatus shown therein comprisea. in the main, a plurality of spaced gas stove top burners H], a pilot burner housing structure l! located substantially centrally with respect to the three burners shown, and flash tubes l4, l6 and 18 leading from the respective burners to the pilot of the tube burner housing. The flash tubes l4 and iii are identical. They may be curved to avoid structures preventing them from leading directly from the pilot burner housing to an associated burner or to enable, as shown, a burner housing having four equally spaced tube supporting portions to be used with burners located so that straight tubes cannot be used. The tubes [4 and I6 are constructed in accordance with the present invention and all three of the flash tubes are arranged in novel manner with respect to the pilot burner housing, as will be described in. greater detail hereinafter.

The burners Ill may be of conventional construction. As illustrated, they include burner bases 20 and burner caps 22 having a seriesof burner ports 24 near their outer peripheries. Gas is supplied to the burners under the control of conventional valves, not shown, and when gas is supplied to the burners the gas escapes through the burner ports 24 and is ignited by al -flame flashed from the pilot burner [2 through aflash tube and escapes near the main burner end to ignite gas escaping through the lighter and burner ports.

The pilot burner may be at the' upper end 30 of a relatively small diameter conduit32 through which gas is continuously supplied, as from the conventional manifold, not shown, forming a part of a stove. The pilot burner is formed at the upturned end 34 of the tube.

The pilot burner housing structure is preferably, but not, necessarily, supported by .the upturned end 34 of the conduit 32. This can be readily done as by a collar 36 to which the housing I2 is secured and supportedin turn by ,a bracket orv fitting 38, which is illustrated only in Fig. 2.

The pilot burner housing may take various forms and has been illustrated as being generally cup-like in form. It includes a generally circular .bottom 40 having a series of spaced ports 42 in it to provide combustion air for the pilot burner. The housing includes also a generally vertical wall.

In accordance with one of the primary features of the present invent on, the arrangement of the pilot burner housing structure and flash tubes is such that the flash tubes are supportable solely by the housing and the method of support is such that the tube cannot be rotated nor can it be moved angularly or tipped relative to the'pilot burner housing to any substantial extent. The arrangement thus facilitates fabrication and as-- sembly of the ignition apparatus and it also serves to locate the main burner end of the flash tube quite closely in desired position relative to the lighter jetfrom which the outer end of the tube may be suspended, if desired, by a connector 50 of a type disclosed and claimed in the copending application of Philip S. Harper, Serial No. 673,849,

filed June 1, 1946, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

The flash tube supporting connector 56 has a generally tubular end 52 adapted telescopically to receive the outer end of a flash tube and it has at its other end a transverse ,portion 54 adapted toseat upon and to be supported by the jet 25. The connector includes also upwardly extending side walls 56 at the burner end, see particularly Fig. 2, between which is located an air port .58 at the underside of the connector. .Other main burner end constructions may be utilized.

The pilot burner housing-flash tube assembly .is characterized by the novel cooperative arrange- -ment between straight sided open ended slots 69 in the pilot burner'housing, and opposed straight sided walls 62 in the flash tube, whereby the tubes can be assembled relative to the housing by simply dropping the flash tubes into the slots with the walls and slots in registry.

The slots 60 in the pilot burner housing are, as indicated above, straight sided, i. e., they have straight sides 64 whichare spaced apart substantially the same distance or slightly more than the spacing between the walls 62 in the flash tube. In order to facilitate positioning of the the slot thereby nonrotatably to associate the tubes -and.pilot burner housing. The straight sides may be the spaced apart generally straight .sided side walls 62 of the tube. These side walls may be spaced apart a distance less than the outside diameter'of the tube, as particularly illustrated in Fig. 3, thereby to produce structure such as the inclined walls 68, adapted to engage the inner and outer sides of the pilot burner housing wall at the sides of the slot. The axial length of the side walls 62 is approximately equal or slightly greater than the thickness of the pilot burner housing wall structure so that, when a tube is assembled in the housing, as shown for example in Fig. 6, the tube will not tip. Furthermore, the tube will not rotate to any substantial extent relative to the housing even though the tube is so curved thatthe side walls 62 are normal to the plane of the arc of curvature. As a result, the free end of the flash tube is substantially fixedly supported relative to the main burner.

The flash tubes and the assembly including the flash tubes and pilot burner housing of the present invention can thus be fabricated both simply and economically. The assembly is also very simple, requiring but the dropping of one end of the flash tube into its associated slot in thepilot burner housing. If desired, the free end of the flash tube can be additionally supported relative to the jet as by the connectors 5i! ordevices similar thereto. Curved as well as straight flash tubes are thus detachably secured-to the housing in a substantially fixed and nonrotatable relation.

This is particularly advantageous in connection with curved flash tubes which would otherwise be likely to rotate because intermediate portions are not in line with the end or ends that are supported.

While the present invention has been described in connection with the details of an illustrative embodiment thereof, it should be understood that these details are not intended to be limitative of the invention except in sofar as set forthin the accompanying claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: 2 V

1. Gas burner ignition apparatus including a pilot burner housing having wall structure defining an open ended straight sided slot, and a flash tube inserted into said slot through the open end of the latter and having opposed straight sided walls with a length axially ofthe flash tube at leastapproximately equal to the thickness of the pilot burner housing wall structure and structure engaged with the inner and outer sides of said wall structure, whereby said tube and housing are detachably held in substantially fixed assembled relation when the tube is inserted into said slot.

2. Gas burner ignition apparatus including a pilot burner housing having a wallstructure defining an open ended straight sided slot, and a flash tube inserted into said slot through the open end of the latter and having opposed straight walls with a length axially of the flash tube at least approximately equal to thethickness of the pilot burner housing wall structure and structure engaged with the inner and outer sides of said wall structure at both sides of the slot, whereby said tube and housing are detachably held in substantially fixed assembled relation when the tube is inserted into said slot.

3. Gas burner ignition apparatus including a pilot burner housing having generally vertical wall structure defining a generally vertically disposed slot open at its upper end, and a flash tube having opposed straight side walls of substantial height inserted into said slot through the open end of the latter, said side walls being spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the width of the slot and having a length axially of the flash tube at least approximately equal to the thickness of the pilot burner housing wall structure, said tube also having structure engaged with the inner and outer sides of said wall structure, whereby said tube and housing are held in substantially fixed, nonrotatable but detachable, assembled relation when the tube is inserted into said slot.

4. Gas burner ignition apparatus including a pilot burner housing having a side wall with at least one vertical slot open at its upper end, and a cylindrical flash tube having a diameter greater than the width of the slot, said tube having opposed straight sided side walls of a length axially of the flash tube approximately equal to the thickness of said side wall and portions extending outwardly from said side walls to the outer periphery of the tube, and said straight sided walls being spaced apart a, distance substantially equal to the width of said slot, said straight sided portion of the tube being inserted into said slot through the open end of the latter whereby the tube and housing are held in substantially fixed but detachable assembled relation by the engagement of portions of the tube with portions of said housing.

5. Gas burner ignition apparatus including a pilot burner housing having a side wall with at least one vertical slot open at its upper end, and a cylindrical flash tube having opposed straight sided side walls of substantial height, a length axially of the flash tube approximately equal to the thickness of the housing wall and spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the width of the slot, and inclined portions extending from said side walls to the outer periphery of the tube, said straight sided portion of the tube being inserted into said slot through the open end of the latter whereby the tube and housing are held in substantially fixed but detachable assembled relationship by the engagement of portions of the tube with portions of said housing.

6. Gas burner ignition apparatus including a pilot burner housing having a wall structure defining an open ended straight sided slot, and a curved flash tube inserted into said slot through the open end of the latter and having opposed straight sided walls normal to the plane of the arc of curvature with a length axially of the flash tube approximately equal to the thickness of the pilot burner housing wall structure and structure engaged with the inner and outer sides of said wall structure adjacent the slot, whereby said tube and housing are held nonrotatably in assembled relation when the tube is inserted into said slot.

7. A gas burner ignition flash tube comprising a tube curved intermediate its ends so that its arc of curvature is in a predetermined plane and having opposed straight sided walls between its ends and near one end, said straight walls having a length axially of the tube that is short compared to the length of the tube, being normal to the plane of the arc of curvature and spaced apart a distance less than the outside dimension of the tube in the region of said walls as measured in said plane.

8. A gas burner ignition flash tube comprising a cylindrical tube curved intermediate its ends so that its arc of curvature is in a predetermined plane and having opposed generally parallel straight side walls near one end normal to the plane of the arc of curvature, said walls having a short length axially of the tube and being spaced apart a distance less than the outside diameter of the tube.

CHARLES C. LAMAR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 

